# Chapter 7

The times in which Michael lived were different from the current times. Legally speaking. Almost all prohibitions, for example, did not exist anymore. Governments understood that regulations are a way better form of acting, than prohibition. Almost everything was legal, but not everything was easily, legal. For example, to drive a car you still needed to have passed a certain test. Because driving a car put some responsibility on the driver. In a case of an accident, other people might suffer also.

Nothing was prohibited that would cause harm to one self. Suicide was perfectly legal. Taking drugs was legal. And so on... But only if those activities didn't involve harming others, or a risk of harming others. For example, for selling drugs, you needed to pass a special requirement on each sale. Like making sure that the buyer understands all the known risks related to the drugs. And not just simply handing him a piece of paper with the list of side-effects. You had to make sure that the buyer actually understood the side-effects. That was the law.

Every person in the mega-structures for the last fifty years or so received a payment from the government. The sum was equal for all citizens and covered basic needs. So no person in the mega-structures was ever hungry. And everybody had at least a small house. Those who wanted more, and they were plenty, could open a business a business or work at a business to earn extra money. This basic income was also received by children.

Children in the mega-structures didn't have the restrictions they have today. There was a law that required parents to watch over them still, but the law permitted a lot. For example, suicide was still legal for children as well. And parent could not use force to stop the child from committing suicide. Unless the child agrees to have force used on them. By law, watching over, was to provide verbal reasoning to the child, so they will not commit self harm. Suicide rates were very low among children, so nobody complained about the law.

Furthermore, there was no such a thing as eighteen-plus anymore. The parent watching over period continued until the child would pass a reason-ability test. It was something like an adulthood license. After acquiring which a child was, by law, no longer seen as a child. A lot of people lived their whole lives without acquiring such a thing. Alice Molly at age six already passed it. And was by law a legal adult. So was the fourteen year old Michael. So there was nothing illegal about their sparkling up romance.

Michael didn't have much money left till the next month, since he bought the lessons of Mr. Molly. But he terribly desired to impress Alice somehow. He was walking through the mega-structures stores and looking for a physical item that would be pretty and not very expensive. He was very much doubting the whole idea. He thought that he didn't have the nerve to actually give her the present. But he thought that maybe it will work.

He looked through a few of the stores before entering this one. It was filled with weird shiny animal thingies done in house by a lovely woman that was making one right that moment. He looked at her with an interesting feeling of nostalgia as it reminded him something. "Excuse me?" - he said - "What will one of those cost?". She said a figure. Michael fidgeted with one of them imagining the look on Alice's face when she would get one. And thought to himself whether the toy worth it.

He thought about the nostalgia that he felt. It made him concentrate on his memory. He didn't remember making shiny animal thingies. But he did remember making little mechanical toys. "Are all those toys made by you?" - he asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"They are amazing." - he said. She had thanked him. He continued - "Is this like a toy store, or like an shiny animal toy store?". She didn't know what to answer. Probably she never thought about it herself. She said - "What do you mean?". Michael didn't necessarily knew what he meant. He said - "Well, me and my dad made mechanical toys at home when I was younger. Would be cool to see them on a shelf like this, you know, instead of laying in a dust in a box. Maybe some kid would like to play with them, I have no use for them.". The woman thought about it and said - "Well bring them in, will split.".

Michael didn't realize what just happened for a few more moments. Then, he finally realised it. He just made a business deal. He took the contact information of the woman and went home to collect the boxes with toys. He had to pay for a taxi to bring them all to the woman. When she saw them she was slightly shocked by the engineering of some of the toys. Her animals were merely cute. But those mechanical toys ranged from cute, to extremely complex. There was even a humanoid toy with gears inside that when loaded would perform a dance. This kind of thing was unheard of in the era of mega-net and everything being a hologram.

"Eighty percent?" - the woman asked. Michael didn't understand it. "I mean, how much is your cut? These could sell for a lot.". Michael finally understood, she wanted to give him 80% of the revenue from each sale. But he thought that he could risk making a bit more. He was feeling like a true business man for a moment. He said - "Eighty five.". Woman looked him, smiled, looked back at the toys and then back at him and said - "Deal!". Michael regretted not going for 90%.

From now and until the boxes were emptied, he would have random amounts of money dripping into his pocket. He would sit with the woman and price each and every toy. He would get surprised every time when the woman picked the price. Since it was usually more than how much he expected. After the first few sales he already could afford the wireless charger in the bed. He noticed that he talked himself into getting money. He didn't necessarily argued with the woman, but he used words to make the deal. And it felt very empowering. He wanted to learn more.

When he told the story to Mr. Molly, Alice was present. And it was the something that he was looking for. She was impressed. Not by a fluffy doll. But his ability to do things. She thought that he has potential. And it's wise to stick to him. She would explain it as if it was a purely rational decision, but somewhere deep inside, there was an emotional core to it. She was too serious to feel in love, but she was. And he was too.

Mr. Molly didn't have any objections to it. After all it was absolutely legal. But there was still something to do. And it was to show Alice Molly to the father of Michael. Which was not very easy to do, Alice looked like a girl, which one day, five ears ago traumatized Michael's father to almost complete inability. But Alice and Michael thought up an idea.
